Platted That! – Assassin’s Creed: Origins

Presented Spoiler-free

Platted That! is an ongoing series from Handsome Phantom giving gamers a review of unlocking the Platinum Trophy for PlayStation 4 titles.

Assassin’s Creed: Origins brought the popular series back from the edge of oblivion. After the disastrous launch of Assassin’s Creed: Unity, and the lukewarm reception of Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, Ubisoft took a step back and a year off to reexamine the series and create a polished title that renders the sands and stone of Ptolemaic Egypt in all its Hellenic splendor. Whether you’re new to the series or a longtime fan, Assassin’s Creed: Origins has a pretty fun Platinum Trophy, but its going to take around fifty to sixty hours. Here’s what players can expect.

Organic

Organic trophies typically pop while playing the game, usually without any particular effort applied. Unlike most games, many of the trophies for AC:O are not organic or story based. Players will see most trophies still locked by the time they complete the main campaign. The good news here is that many of the remaining mop-up trophies are very quickly accomplished, and there won’t be any distracting collectibles or missable trophies that players are going to have to be checking up on.

So, relax, grab a hidden blade and a trusty shield, and hack and slash through AC:O’s long campaign mode. There are level requirements/suggestions for missions throughout the campaign, and odds are the main character Bayek won’t level up fast enough to keep pace with these. Ubisoft littered side quests all throughout Egypt that help the leveling up process. Only two of these, “Seven Farmers” and “Lady of Slaughter,” are tied to trophies. It’s possible to reach Bayek’s max level and acquire all the skills and gear needed for the platinum without doing all the side quests, so don’t feel the need to grind these to exhaustion; AC:O’s platinum is a marathon, not a sprint.

Mop-up

Generally, the trophies remaining after completion of the main campaign can be divided into two categories: combat/skills or map-clearing. Combat and skill related trophies were a breeze. There wasn’t a single one of these that took more than a couple minutes to pop.

The “Roooaaarrrrr!” trophy and “Set-up Date” do require a specific skill to tame animals. If a player hasn’t unlocked this skill yet, they might need to grind some side quests or activities to level up again. Bayek cannot proceed past level forty, but he can level up and receive a skill point indefinitely. The trophy “Overdesign,” which has players poisoning a high level enemy and then killing them with a torch, seems like it requires the poison dart skill, however it can still be achieved with any weapon that has a poison upgrade.

The most time spent in combat and skill trophies will probably be “BOOM!” to kill thirty enemies by shooting a fire arrow at oil jars. As of writing, only 3.3% of players on PSN have unlocked this trophy. It’s not hard, but it requires conscious effort and planning. Here’s a handy guide for the quickest solution.

Map-clearing trophies are where most players will spend their time in mop-up. Make no mistake, this is a slog that will take hours. There are several trophies that tie into clearing the map that culminate in “Old Habits,” which only has a 3.7% completion rate. While it takes a long time, it is not hard, and was surprisingly fun. Most locations are pretty quick lootable areas, some have special bosses, and a few just need to be interacted with. Put on some music, have a drink, and enjoy it. AC:O has very accessible gameplay, and a well-designed world map that was very cool to explore. Make it a little easier with this handy checklist of locations.

TL;DR

Assassin’s Creed Origins revels in the wonders of Ancient Egypt, and though the platinum trophy requires a significant time investment, its still average compared to other games. There are no missable trophies, and the combat and skill related achievements are relatively simple. Handsome Phantom recommends.

But we want to know what you think! Have you Platted That!? What trophies gave you trouble? Are you hyped for the upcoming ACO DLC? What platinum trophies are you mopping up right now? Let Handsome Phantom know your thoughts and you could get a shout out on the Adventure Mode podcast! Be sure to check out our recent review of SteamWorld Heist for Nintendo Switch, or part two of our favorite trilogies in gaming!